[Information] A Clueless' Guide

[idilippy]

Many of these bits of info were taken from this excellent game log of a chat based Planescape Campaign.

The State of the Multiverse

The Material Plane encompasses every possible prime material world, each sealed within it's own crystal sphere and accessible by Spelljammers. This shouldn't come into play however, you will most likely be using portals or transitive planes like the Astral, Ethereal, or Shadow plane to travel from world to world if needed.

The Transitive Planes are about the same as in v.3.5. Finite demiplanes, including Ravenloft, can exist anywhere, but are most common in the Ethereal Plane. The Plane of Shadow is still a plane (it was promoted from demiplane status in 3E).

The Inner Planes include paraelemental planes (where the Elemental Planes meet each other) and quasielemental planes (where they touch the positive & negative energy planes).

The Outer Planes are shared by the gods of every Material Plane world. Instead of each campaign setting having its own cosmology, all are part of the Great Wheel.

Other planes, such as the Temporal Energy Plane, the Far Realm, and Eberron’s cosmology, are not part of the standard cosmology, or were invented after the end of Planescape. Eberron's entire being will be self contained in one section of the multiverse that is difficult to get in or out of.

The timelines for Prime Material worlds are also set during their 2nd Edition days. In Faerûn, it’s 1369 DR, the Year of the Gauntlet, the Krynnish year is 360 AC, three years after Dragonlance Legends, and on Oerth, it’s 572 CY, four years before the original World of Greyhawk box set.

Orcus is dead, Vecna is an obscure demigod, Modrons exist and are the primary inhabitants of Mechanus, and the Faction War has not taken place.

If you don’t know what any of this means, feel free to ask me about it.

The Cant
A great resource for all your cant needs is here, with a smaller, more basic selection of the most common words here. I recommend taking a look at the second link if you've never encountered Planescape before, the first link is only if you truly want to look through a gigantic amount of accumulated words.

Factions
Planescape's factions are described in numerous places as "Philosophers with clubs" and the Planescape setting itself embraces the idea of opposed philosophies more than pure good and evil, black and white distinctions. Here is a brief run down of the different factions.

The Athar- Deniers, Defiers, the Lost, all names used to describe members of the faction known as the Athar. While the presence of beings of great power, know to lesser men as "gods" or "powers", is undeniable, the Athar know the truth of such beings. They are creatures of great power, that is undeniable, but they are not gods. They are mortals, just like you and me, they die, lose power, scheme and plot, and otherwise act in a way that proves they are unworthy of worship.

Now, we aren't saying there is no greater power out there, indeed spells from faithful come from somewhere, just nod from the so-called "gods". Else why would those who have faith in ideals be granted power without one of these beings backing it? Join the Athar, we know the truth of such beings and embrace all who feel as we do.

Believers of the Source- Godsmen, or Reincarnates are labels for those who follow the ideals of the Believers of the Source. We, all of us, are gods in the making. Our lives are a great test, a test none know the answers to, and at our deaths we are judged and should we pass our tests we ascend to the next step on the road to godhood, while failure takes us back a step, perhaps even bringing us back as a lowly Prime, an animal, even a plant.

Though none know the questions of our life's great quest one thing is certain, only by constant improvement can we hope to do well. Improvement at what, you ask? Why, anything and everything. Improve your mind, body, and soul to the fullest extent possible and you will be in the best position to ascend upon your death. We take all who wish improvement, from the lowest of the low to the highest beings of mortal power. Come join us if you wish to improve on your quest towards true ascension.

The Bleak Cabal- Called Bleakers, or Madmen. Don't come here thinking your going to find some great meaning or higher purpose, because you aren't gonna find it here. Of course, you won't find it anywhere, that's the thing, all these "factions" with their meanings and great truths are missing the point. The world just ain't like that, there's no great purpose, no clear plan, no higher meaning. Things happen for no reason, make no sense, and will never make sense because the multiverse itself doesn't make sense.

Everyone wasting their lives for a higher purpose, trying to twist and spin events to find meaning and purpose is doomed to a life of frustration. The sooner you embrace the fact that nothing is going to make sense because nothing has to make sense, the sooner you can quit seeking outer meanings and start finding your own, inner meanings. There is no great plan for the multiverse so find your own, accept what's happening outside is pointless and we'll be here to support you. Don't bother trying to preach it to other though, either they accept the truth or they keep on their doomed searching, either way it doesn't really matter.

The Doomguard- Sinkers, Downers, and Destroyers are all names for members of the Doomguard. Have you heard of entropy? Everything, from people to buildings to the very universe is in decline. People die, buildings collapse, planes break and fade away, and eventually the multiverse itself will fall away to nothingness. But that is the way of things, the natural state of being, don't despair for the loss rather rejoice in the release of the universe from it's decaying state into the emptiness of true oblivion.

Those who try and rebuild, hold together, heal, and protect areas from destruction are the unnatural ones, though those who try and destroy things early are also in the wrong. Fighting against the natural progression of the universe is wrong, and we are here to prevent it, whether those who oppose us are powers, primes, or planars we will ensure that entropy is allowed to proceed at the natural rate. Don't get us wrong, we aren't out to tear down your homes and kill your children, building and birth are part of the natural cycle of decay. We are simply here to ensure entropy succeeds on a grand scale, in due time, and without any unnatural helping or hindering.

The Dustmen- Also called the Dead. You're dead, berk. Wait, leave your sword alone, I make no threats. I am dead as well,we all are, each and every miserable one of us. It is simply a fact, if we were alive why would there be sadness, pain, and trials? Life is about pure joy, positivity, and happiness, so we are already dead, we just haven't been allowed to achieve True Death yet.

Alas, we are only at the low point of this cycle of death, we must endure this hardship and move on to the next, fully and completely experience all the pain this life has to offer. Only then will we move on, one step closer to the true death and peace. Those who try and rush this, throwing their life away early or taking their own life, are the true fools. Not only do they not move on, but they are forced to relive this pitiful existence until they have done so fully. Look upon the walking dead, who are purged of all terrible passions and emotions, and hope that one day you are lucky enough to achieve the True Death and join them.

The Fated- Also called Takers or the Heartless.

The Revolutionary League